The Acolyte Explained | Highlights from “Night”

Episode 5: “Night”

The cacophony of lightsabers clashing zings through the forest adding to Osha’s disorientation as she awakens from being flung aside like a rag doll. But despite the panicked sounds of combat and the body of one fallen Jedi, there is still a last flicker of hope that surely the amassed mission crew can fight off this one frightful intruder. For example, Sol’s (Lee Jung-jae) brilliant blue lightsaber deflecting the red saber spinning dangerously toward Osha’s head, and a gentler Force-push into Yord’s arms, following Sol’s order to get the civilian to the safety of the ship.

Amid this brutal melee, Sol must contend with the Stranger head-on, a duel between two very different kinds of Masters armed with lightsabers who use the Force as their ally, while Jecki (Dafne Keen) tries to make good on the mission to find and arrest Mae. Instead of one massive fight playing out across a battlefront, the forest erupts in many smaller skirmishes, separated by the darkness that envelopes the woods and makes it difficult to see clearly. But it’s Yord’s summation of the Stranger’s tactics that snap the threat into focus. “He doesn’t follow the rules of combat. No method to his movements. He doesn’t make sense…” Yord tells Osha. Thanks to the cortosis of the Stranger’s helmet, the Jedi are unable to sense their opponent’s thoughts and feelings.

Perhaps this is the key to the Jedi’s defeat in this battle. While Mother Aniseya raised her children to understand that there are no warnings when you find yourself under attack, the Jedi have followed strict protocol and a rigid set of rules. It’s as if they expected whoever they encountered to do the same, almost as if they had trained for sport then found themselves at war.

However, this is still a time of peace. There is no galaxy-embroiling conflict. Just the Stranger and his prey. Once the masked menace has moved on to Jecki and Mae, we see just what the young Padawan is made of. She fights like someone far older and more experienced. And although she respects the rules of the Order, she is clearly ready to adapt as needed. When her lightsaber temporarily shorts out due to the cortosis gauntlet on the Stranger’s forearm, she puts Kelnacca’s oversized lightsaber to use, holding her own until she is ultimately bested in combat and the Stranger’s true identity is revealed.

And can we talk about this moment? It feels as shocking as when Darth Vader admitted the truth of Luke Skywalker’s lineage in The Empire Strikes Back, or when Darth Maul first ignited his double-sided lightsaber to duel Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. Or when the Skywalker saber sailed right past Kylo Ren and into Rey’s outstretched hand in The Force Awakens. It’s a moment that is devastating the first time you see it, yet the impact does not lessen on repeat viewings. Three well-placed strikes and we discover that the Stranger has been concealing a short saber in his hilt, a hidden viper ready to strike. As his victim falls, we finally see his face.

The Stranger’s (Manny Jacinto) identity is no longer a mystery. For a split second he reverts to the silliness of Qimir (Manny Jacinto), but that was an act put on by a predator. He blames Mae for exposing him to the Jedi and bringing on their own demise. “The Jedi say I can’t exist,” he says simply. “So, they see my face, they all die.”

The slaughter is intense. Characters we have grown to love over the last few weeks meet a terrible end. The Stranger’s ferocity extends to psychological warfare, challenging Sol on one of the Jedi tenets. “I’ve accepted my darkness,” he snarls at the Jedi Master. “What have you done with yours?” It’s only when Osha sacrifices something she has grown attached to — her sweet droid, Pip, — that the Jedi have a chance to escape the threat, as the Stranger is swarmed by the umbramoths drawn to the little droid’s light.

In the final act, the twins come face to face as a new dawn breaks over the carnage on Khofar. But in yet another twist, nothing is as it seems as Sol awakens to see the face of his former student. They board the Polan, with Bazil on their heels, leaving the other sister behind.